Update: Gonazales Gardens Revitalization

Update as of May 10, 2016.

The Columbia Housing Authority is actively relocating residents with 129 of total 280 completed so far. The remaining tenants in the Gardens will be moved by July 31, 2016.

All residents were offered vouchers for housing in other locations including some who took their vouchers and used them toward home ownership. The CHA physically moved or paid to move all residents. The first tenants relocated moved to these areas of Columbia (and one to Florida!).

Following relocation, demolition will begin, with the City of Columbia taking a lead with a $1M commitment toward demolition.

They are still seeking several one bedroom apartments for some of their seniors, particularly those with disabilities or who need to be near transportation lines. If you know of any one-bedroom apartments available, please email Julia Prater at jprater@chasc.org.

There is no set date for construction but Mungo Homes is the development “partner”. The Master Plan shows locations for:

The Columbia Housing Authority is encouraging development of single-family housing surrounding Gonzales. Forest Hills neighbors could help by inviting good owners to consider the Lyon Street neighborhood as it changes.

The CHA is looking for a name for the newly redeveloped area, so if you have ideas, please send them to our neighbor, Sam Scheib, at scheib2004@att.net.

Watch your neighbor’s back!

Vandals look for opportunity, including signs of vacancy. If you are traveling during the upcoming weeks, make sure you have someone pick up your mail, newspaper, and other delivered items daily. If you've ordered something, consider using the Fedex or UPS alternate delivery features to hold the package or send it elsewhere. Look out for each other. It's the very best protection. Or get a big dog. For more tips, visit our security page.

Meet your 2017 officers and area representatives

If you have questions about various aspects of the Forest Hills Neighborhood Association, please see the names of our committees and the people who manage them here.

Great find for pet owners!

One of our neighborhood pets disappeared from his home this week. The owner was able to quickly identify the found pup on Chasing the Tails Pet Patrol Facebook. Great resource!